Lipa, 3 towns allowed illegal fish pens in Taal Lake
BATANGAS CITY, Philippines—Only two cities and six of the nine towns surrounding Taal Lake are allowed to put up fish pens, according to provincial government data.
But oddly, three places that are not on the list—Lipa City and the towns of Alitagtag and Sta. Teresita—have cages also affected by the massive fishkill in Taal, indicating how restrictions have been wantonly disregarded.
Only 6,000 fish cages are permitted in the lake, and each of the six towns allowed to build them is allotted a limited number.
Talisay, the worst-hit by the recent fishkill, may build the most number of cages at 2,000; followed by Agoncillo, 1,500; Laurel, 1,360; San Nicolas, 1,000; Mataas na Kahoy, 120; and Cuenca, 20.
All fish cages found outside the six towns—or built in excess of the number allotted to each—are considered illegal, according to provincial information officer Ginette Segismundo.
Lipa lost about 20 metric tons of milkfish (bangus) and tilapia as the fishkill spread to its territory over the weekend, yet Segismundo recalled that the city earlier declared that it had no fish cage operator on its side of the lake.
Reached for comment on Thursday, Sta. Teresita Mayor Aurea Segunial explained that while it was true that her town was placed under a state of calamity due to the fishkill, it never hosted any fish pen.
1,000 illegal cages
She said her town’s reported losses involved those incurred by open-water fishermen and those who operate fish traps or “baklad,” which are designed to catch a particular fish variety, the maliputo.
The provincial government has been working double time to do an inventory of the fish pens in Taal to determine which of them are among the estimated 1,000 cages operating illegally.
Segismundo said the inventory started with Agoncillo town on Wednesday, but it had to be suspended due to bad weather.
The dismantling of an estimated 1,000 illegal fish cages will begin next week, after the inventory, she added.
Segismundo said that as per latest data, the fishkill had taken its toll on several towns and cities.
Talisay (895 metric tons of fish valued at P78.760 million), Agoncillo (268.25 MT worth P15,273,500), Cuenca (1.6 MT worth P240,000), Mataas na Kahoy (150 MT worth P7.5 million), Alitagtag (0.235 MT worth P35,080), San Nicolas (50 MT worth P4.5 million), and Sta. Teresita (0.565 MT worth P82,050); and Lipa (20 MT).
Wake-up call
Tanauan City and the towns of Laurel and Balete have not reported any losses.
But Segismundo said Tanauan and Balete would still be included in the site inspection and inventory to determine if there were really no fish pen operators there.
Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto on Thursday admitted that the fishkill was largely due to the “excesses” of fishpond operators, calling the ecological disaster a “wake-up call” to these businessmen.
She also reminded the mayors of coastal municipalities to closely monitor the activities of fish cage operators, particularly the foreign investors, who benefit from the lake. Marrah Erika Lesaba, Inquirer Southern Luzon
